Government Securities Act (GSA) Regulations

Large Position Reporting (LPR)

Large Position Reporting Rules:
Treasury's large position reporting rules (17 CFR Part 420) provide an on-demand reporting system that requires large position reports to be filed by entities that control a position in a particular Treasury security (or securities) equaling or exceeding the specified large position thresholds.

Such information allows Treasury to monitor the impact of concentrations of positions in the Treasury securities market. Treasury does not believe that large positions are inherently problematic, and there is no presumption of manipulative or illegal intent merely because a reporting entity's position is large enough to be subject to Treasury's large position reporting rules.

Technical Amendments for Filing Reports
On October 18, 2018, Treasury published a final rule amending its large position reporting rules to provide Treasury with additional flexibility as to where and how large position reports are to be filed (83 FR 52767). The rule became effective on November 17, 2018.

Final Rule
On December 10, 2014, Treasury published a final rule amending its large position reporting rules to improve the information reported so that Treasury can better understand supply and demand dynamics in certain Treasury securities (79 FR 73408). The rule became effective on March 10, 2015.

On June 10, 2014, Treasury issued a proposed rule to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to Treasury's rules for reporting large positions in certain Treasury securities (79 FR 33145). The comment period closed on August 9, 2014. View comment letters.

Joint Staff Report: The U.S. Treasury Market on October 15, 2014: On July 13, 2015, staff from the Treasury Department, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued a joint report that analyzed the volatility in the U.S. Treasury market on October 15, 2014.

1992 Joint Report on the Government Securities Market: The Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission and Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System submitted to Congress a report on the government securities market, as well as recommendations for legislation and changes in policies. Download file in PDF format (file size 2.3 MB, file uploaded 07/12/04).

GSA Regulations

Government Securities Act (GSA) Regulations:
Treasury's rules for government securities broker-dealers on financial responsibility, protecting customer securities and funds, recordkeeping, large position reporting, and financial reporting and audits. Also included are rules concerning custodial holdings of government securities by depository institutions.

Disclosure Update:
This final rule (file size 220KB, uploaded 12/27/18) modifies the Government Securities Act (GSA) regulations to conform to Securities and Exchange Commission amendments that update its disclosure requirements to reflect certain changes to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles regarding the reporting of extraordinary gains and losses, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, and statements of comprehensive income.

Elimination of Credit Rating References:
This final rule (file size 237KB, uploaded 7/08/14) modifies the Government Securities Act (GSA) regulations to replace references to credit ratings in Treasury's liquid capital rule with alternative requirements. It also makes several non-substantive, technical amendments to Treasury's GSA regulations to update certain information or to delete certain requirements that are no longer applicable. One comment letter (file size 643KB, uploaded 11/30/2011) was received in response to the proposed rule (PDF format, file size 162KB, uploaded 9/27/11).

GSA’s Applicability to Over-the-Counter Derivatives Dealers:
This final rule (PDF format, file size 56KB, uploaded 9/15/06) modifies the Government Securities Act (GSA) regulations to state explicitly that Treasury deems over-the-counter derivatives dealers that are also government securities dealers to be in compliance with the GSA regulations if they comply with the applicable SEC rules for such dealers, and other SEC rules applicable to them.

Final Amendment to Custodial Holdings Requirement:
This final rule amendment (file size 52KB, uploaded 5/23/05) modifies the Government Securities Act (GSA) regulations applicable to depository institutions holding government securities for the account of customers. It makes savings associations regulated and examined by the Office of Thrift Supervision eligible for the conditional GSA regulatory exemption for holdings subject to fiduciary standards. One comment letter (file size 101KB, uploaded 11/02/2004) was received in response to the proposed rule (file size 55KB, uploaded 9/23/04).

Modifications to Customer Protection Requirements:
This final rule amendment (download PDF format, file size 101KB, file uploaded 6/14/04) modifies the Government Securities Act regulations to allow for the expansion of collateral that specialized government securities brokers and dealers may pledge when borrowing fully paid and excess-margin securities from customers' accounts. The accompanying exemptive order (download PDF format, file size 28KB, file uploaded 6/14/04) specifies the types of securities that may be pledged. Treasury did not receive any comment letters in response to the proposed rule (download PDF format, file size 44KB, uploaded 12/11/03) that was published on December 11, 2003.

Modification to Definition of Government Securities:
This final rule change (download PDF format, file size 38 KB, file uploaded 5/24/01) makes a technical amendment to the GSA regulations to include qualified Canadian government obligations under the definition of “government securities” as applied to a bank.

Recordkeeping Rules for Banks:
The recordkeeping requirements are clarified for bank government securities brokers and dealers in this amendment. Download file in PDF format (file size 30KB, file uploaded 2/18/97).

Treasury’s Buy-In Rules:
This final rule amendment implemented a buy-in requirement for all government securities that are needed to complete a customer sell order (other than a short sale) if the securities have not been received from the customer within 30 calendar days after the settlement date for all government securities except mortgage-backed securities, or 60 calendar days after the settlement date for mortgage-backed securities. These requirements apply to all entities that are required to register or provide notice of their status as government securities brokers and dealers.

Interpretations and Exemptions

In order to make essential government securities regulatory information more
broadly available to the public, we are providing some of the most recent and frequently requested
interpretations and exemptions on-line.

Order Granting Temporary Exemptions for CDS Central Counterparty:
This exemptive order (file size 205KB, uploaded 7/21/11) grants temporary exemptions from certain Government Securities Act (GSA) provisions and regulations in connection with a request from ICE Trust U.S. LLC (file size 72MB, uploaded 7/15/11) related to the central clearing of credit default swaps (CDS). Treasury is also soliciting public comment on this order. Submit comments on or before September 19, 2011.

Statutes

Authorizing Statute (15 U.S.C. 78o-5) (PDF format, file size 181 KB, uploaded 08/02/2012)
Title 15 of the United States Code, Section 78o-5 authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to propose and adopt rules with respect to transactions in government securities effected by government securities brokers and government securities dealers.

Government Securities Act (GSA) of 1986:
Congress passed the GSA (Download PDF format, file size 243KB, uploaded 6/09/2005) in 1986 which established for the first time a federal system for the regulation of the entire government securities market in order to protect investors and to ensure the maintenance of a fair, honest, and liquid market.

Government Securities Act Amendments (GSAA) of 1993:The GSAA, (download PDF format, file size, 161K, uploaded date, 12/4/03) among other things, permanently reauthorized Treasury's rulemaking authority under the Government Securities Act and included provisions for establishing Treasury's large position reporting and recordkeeping rules.